A/N: I own nothing. Huge thank you for my beta Rae D. Magdon!
Rizzoli & Isles - Pick Me Up
Detective Jane Rizzoli was leaning her lean frame on the steel railing, radiating pride and confidence. If that didn't make people think twice whether to bother or not, a glimpse of her gun and badge fastened on her hip did it for them. Jane looked calm and careless standing there, her leather jacket slightly open and her hands shoved into her pockets.
Checking her watch for the tenth time, she tried to spot a familiar face in the crowd. 'She should be here any minute now,' Jane thought. Though it had only been a week since she had driven Maura to the airport, she was anxious to see her friend again. The detective had been glad when Maura had asked her for a ride to the airport, but was also well aware of the fact that her friend didn't necessarily need it. She could have hired a limousine or a helicopter ride without making a notch in her bank account.
They hadn't agreed on the detective coming to pick her up, but Jane had felt like it would be ok, maybe even expected. She couldn't understand why she was feeling little bit nervous. She only knew she had been missing Maura like crazy, and wanted to be there when her plane landed.
The thought of seeing Maura soon made Jane smile. She really looked forward to spending time with her beautiful colleague. Doctor Maura Isles had come to work as a Medical Examiner for the Boston Police District just couple of moths ago. During that time, she had managed to leave an inerasable mark on Jane and the rest of the Homicide Squad. When they had met for the first time, they hit it off immediately. Working side by side had been effortless from the first case they worked together because they were so at ease with each other. Their friendship had developed and soon they were spending all their free time together.
In some aspects, she and the doctor were polar opposites. Their upbringings, for example; Maura had studied at fancy French boarding schools while Jane had gone to public school in the Boston suburbs and worked for her father's plumbing company. Maura's manners and clothing were impeccable. She always sported expensive high heels and designer clothes, not to mention purses. Jane could imagine Maura walking from the plane wearing a very sexy but very unpractical dress, trying to smooth wrinkles from it with a cute frown on her face. 'Wrinkles cause the whole ensemble lose its purpose,' Jane remembered, and chuckled herself. She glanced down at her own clothing, old jeans and white tee shirt, and shook her head. She knew Maura would comment on them, probably sooner than later. Dressing fancy wasn't for Jane, and she would never pay as much for clothes as Maura did. Still, lately she had found herself wearing fancier and more expensive clothes, without a clue how she ended up owning them. Maura was very determined when she wanted something, and knew how to get it. She let nothing distract her from reaching her goal, and that's why she was sometimes described as socially awkward or weird, but Jane found her quirks intriguing. She knew that she wasn't perfect either, and had her share of undesirable qualities in her personality.
Jane squinted to see more clearly through the crowd. She had been staring at the double doors like a hawk for the past half an hour. Her waiting was over when she spotted blonde, flawlessly styled hair accompanied by the familiar clicking of the heels. When the crowd cleared, unblocking the view, her breath got caught up in her throat. She swore Maura was looking more beautiful than ever. Maura wore impossibly tight white jeans and a light orange sleeveless shirt with a plunging neckline, accessorised with heels and a yellow lily tucked behind her ear. She looked absolutely stunning.
Jane felt a wide grin spreading on her face when she stared at her friend. It seemed that Maura hadn't noticed Jane yet and kept on walking. When she passed the spot Jane casually stood, Jane caught up with her in a couple of long strides.
"Need a hand, gorgeous?" Jane whispered into the doctor's ear.
Maura turned around to see Jane grinning at her. Jane was looking ridiculously good in her faded jeans and leather jacket, wearing the widest smile Maura had ever seen. Maura dropped the bag she had been pulling behind her.
"Jane!" she squealed, "Jane, what are you doing here?" Maura threw her arms around the taller woman's neck and pulled her friend into a lung-crushing hug. Jane pulled the blonde even closer.
"I take it you're happy to see me, then?" Jane laughed. Maura buried her head in the crook of Jane's neck.
"Hmm, yes. I missed you," she said quietly, then pulled back a little to look into the brunette's eyes.
"You know you didn't have to come to pick me up?" Maura continued, her tone little bit worried.
"Yes, well, I really wanted to. So deal with it."
"I'm glad you did," Maura replied softly, still wrapped in Jane's arms. For a couple of seconds, they just stood there holding each other. Jane blinked and loosened her grip on Maura, realizing that lingering this long wasn't an appropriate way to greet a friend.
"Let me take your stuff," Jane offered after clearing her throat. She lowered her arms, running them down Maura's sides before removing them completely. She threw one bag over her shoulder and grabbed the other with her right hand. Maura smiled at her friend's chivalrous gesture. It was nothing new, she had already grown accustomed to Jane's good manners, but she still liked all the little things Jane did for her, and only for her.
"Jesus, woman, how much stuff did you take with you?" Jane asked teasingly. "Did you pack Bass, also? It feels like I'm carrying rocks."
"You know very well I like to have clothes for every possible occasion. Besides, a little exercise is good for you. I bet you haven't eaten anything other than pizza while I was away."
"Oh yes, I do know, and for every impossible occasion too…" Jane smirked and continued. "Now, let's try to navigate through to my car before I get distracted by a pizza slice."
She placed her free hand on the small of Maura's back, guiding her forward.
They continued to push through the crowd, both of them secretly enjoying the feeling of having the other so close. When they reached the parking lot, neither of them moved away, though no guiding was needed. Only when Jane needed her keys from her pocket did she break the contact. She loaded the luggage into her trunk and walked around the car where Maura was loosening the straps of her shoes.
"These shoes are killing me," she whined.
Jane lost the hold on her keys when she saw Maura. She couldn't think of a proper answer. Her eyes were transfixed on her colleague's very well shaped ass. Maura heard the clink of keys hitting the ground, stood up, and spun around just to lose her balance with only one shoe on. Jane got her ability to function back and caught her falling friend with her work-honed reflexes.
A heartbeat. Another beat. They stared each other. Third beat. Neither of them even blinked. Fourth heartbeat. Jane licked her lips involuntarily. By fifth beat the detective was ready to throw all caution in the wind, but at the sixth heartbeat she pulled herself together and lowered Maura back to her feet. She reached behind the shorter woman to open the door for her. Her body came in full contact with Maura's and caused the doctor in turn to be bewildered by her feelings and thoughts about the tall detective pressed tightly against her.
"Milady" Jane joked moving away while pulling the door. "I always said you were going to kill yourself with those things you call shoes." She guided the still flabbergasted Maura inside the car.
"Umm…" Maura couldn't remember last time she had stuttered and was thankful for Jane doing the talking.
"Though after spending time with you, I've realized they can look pretty fucking good on some people," Jane said with a wink as she was closing the door.
Maura's automatic responses kicked in.
"Language, Jane," she scolded.
Jane hopped in and started the car. She fastened the seat belt and threw one quick, unnecessary glance to her right to check Maura's belt. Then she started towards the exit. While waiting at the traffic lights, she nodded her head to the music. It was the CD she had burnt to keep in her car for Maura. Their taste in music was one more thing that could be added to the list of complete opposites.
Maura smiled to herself when she realized it was her music and not Jane's that was flowing softly from the speakers. She loved how thoughtful Jane was. She constantly did things in order to make Maura feel good. The perceptive doctor knew some of those things were to make her feel more comfortable, which made Jane feel more comfortable. But still, all of those things existed just because Jane genuinely cared for her.
During her time away, she had missed Jane immensely, more so every time someone had opened the door for her or tried to make her laugh. She had felt so alone and had considered calling Jane, especially when she watched movies at night in her hotel room, but decided against it due to the late hour.
Maura turned her head to watch Jane, who was trying to keep her temper at bay. She was a very impatient driver, and Maura could see the hotheaded detective was trying to behave because of her. Right now, Maura observed, she was frustrated. There was a little frown on Jane's face. They were driving slower than the speed limit allowed due to a van that was blocking their way. Maura wanted to reach and smooth the wrinkles off Jane's face, but thought it would be highly inappropriate and compromised, continuing to watch her friend drive.
"What? Why are you staring at me?" Jane asked, glancing to Maura and then back to the road.
"I just realized how nice it is to be home again," Maura said softly, a little embarrassed that she had been caught staring. Jane looked at Maura sceptically, then turned her gaze forwards.
"You know, I missed you, too," Jane confessed after a while. She placed her hand on Maura's knee, on top of the doctor's manicured hand. The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence with their hands laced together.
~ x ~
"Home, sweet home," Jane exclaimed as she pulled the car to Maura's front yard. When she got no immediate answer, she glanced down at Maura, who had nodded off and was leaning her head to the window. Jane smiled at the sleeping Maura, who was still holding her hand tightly.
"Wake up, sleepy head." Jane tucked a strand of hair behind Maura's ear and caressed her cheek while drawing her hand back. "We're home, Maura, time to wake up." Maura's eyes opened and for a while she had confused look on her face. She looked around her and noticed the familiar surroundings.
"I must have fallen asleep. Sorry, that wasn't my intention," she apologized. "You should have woken me up."
"I didn't even notice you were sleeping before I stopped the car. You don't snore," Jane joked. "But you do drool a bit…" Maura looked appalled. She lifted her hand to the corner of her mouth.
"I do not drool, it is absurd to even…" Maura turned to look Jane, and noticed a gleam in her eyes. "That is not funny, Rizzoli!" She tried to be convincing as she scolded her friend, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"Right, you're right, Isles. As for an apology, I'm going to volunteer to carry your stuff for you."
"Now, what kind of apology is that, when it's you who would have been doing all the carrying anyway?" The doctor questioned with a raised eyebrow and stepped out of the car. She moved to open the front door and walked in. Right before Jane lost sight of her, she heard: " And those bags better be here before I come back."
Jane shook her head, smiling, and went to pick up the bags from the trunk.
"The things I do for her…" She muttered to herself. "Or maybe the things I let her do to me."
Jane carried all the bags inside Maura's apartment and kicked the door shut.
"Stop kicking the door, Jane!" Maura yelled from her bedroom.
"Right, sorry, won't happen again," Jane shouted back. "How the hell did she know what I was doing?" she asked Bass, who had just made his way to the kitchen.
The first time Jane had seen Bass, she hadn't realized it was alive, but now she was beginning to warm up to Maura's pet tortoise. Jane snatched a beer from the fridge and a strawberry for Bass before making her way to the living room and setting the bags down on the couch. She opened the beer and popped her feet up on the coffee table. With a sigh, she tossed the cork in the direction of the trash bin in the kitchen, eyeing the bags next to her suspiciously.
"Jane, how many times do I have to tell you to not use my coffee table or Bass as a footrest?" Maura walked in and shoved Jane's shoes off of the table. She looked at the mountain of bags on her couch and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Before you say anything, sit down and chill for a while," Jane suggested and pulled her friend next to her. Maura sat down, making a face, and Jane offered her beer bottle to the pouting doctor.
"Seriously, what did you have in those bags? They weighed a ton. You didn't actually bring any stones, did ya?" Jane grinned.
"Unfortunately, I did not have time to go to the Mineral Museum."
"Wait, no, really? You were considering bringing rocks overseas?" Jane laughed hysterically. "You know, saddest thing is that I'm not even surprised. You are unique." Jane patted Maura's knee affectionately.
"It is very interesting. Did you know they have several thousand objects on display? And all of them are collected from many different countries. They have dinosaur eggs, fossils, seashells and corals to study. All of them are different kind of minerals. Stone is just a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals…"
"Ok, Google mouth, I give up. Stones are important and fascinating but that's not what you made me drag, right?"
Maura stood up, opened her suitcase and dug in for a while. Her face lit up, when she found what she was looking for and she pulled her hand up triumphantly. She had bottle of Finlandia Vodka in her hand.
"I thought maybe you'd like to taste some of this tonight with some dinner and a movie thrown in?" Maura asked, smiling. "And this is not the only bottle." Jane burst in laughter as she reached for the bottle.
"I like the way you think, Doctor. And you bet your ass I would. After being bossed around, it's nice to get something out of it." Jane sighed, leaning deeper into the couch. She watched her friend close the suitcase with an evil smirk on her face.
"Don't get too comfortable, those bags still need to be taken to my bedroom." She blew Jane a kiss, winked and walked to kitchen to order Chinese from their favourite restaurant.
~ x ~
A couple of hours later, slight snoring could be heard from Maura's living room. Jane was lying on the couch with her head on her friend's lap. Maura ran her fingers slowly through Jane's hair and tried to keep her eyes open to see the ending of the movie. Take out boxes had been pushed under the table and half a bottle of Vodka stood there on the coffee table.
Maura had enjoyed the evening so much that she didn't want it to end. She felt so good cuddling on the couch with Jane, but knew she had to go to sleep in her own bed to prevent the back aches she would get from sleeping there. When she finished watching the movie, she turned the TV off and started waking up Jane by brushing her finger against her face.
"Jane, wake up for a while," she whispered to her friend's ear. "Jane, come on, let's go to bed." Jane squeezed her other eye open and mumbled something Maura couldn't understand. She then lifted her head and rolled off of the couch. Maura giggled and hauled Jane up. She held on to the taller woman and didn't really want to let go.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" Maura whispered without looking Jane into her eyes. Jane glanced down at Maura and lifted her chin.
"Of course I will," Jane whispered back and ran her thumb over Maura's chin. "If you promise not to drool," she added playfully, and got smacked to her arm. Maura led Jane to her bedroom and went to the bathroom to change. Jane just shrugged her jeans off and crawled under the covers. Maura came back out of the bathroom wearing a tank top and shorts and walked around the bed. Then, she lifted the covers and slid under them right next to Jane, who was already asleep. Maura smiled. Jane looked so peaceful when she was sleeping.
"Good night, Jane," Maura whispered before turning her back to her friend and settling down on the mattress. Right when she was falling asleep, she felt Jane's hand sneak around her waist. Jane pulled her closer and spooned her. Pressing a kiss on Maura's neck, she whispered:
"It's good to have you home."